Chapter 11
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ADHARA TOOK A DEEP BREATH, CALMING HER NERVES. She flexed all her ten fingers, feeling the bandages tighten. She had picked off the scabs last night, and Millie had to wrap them up again.

Adhara still wore her gloves, the emerald ones that matched her House colours. It went well with her tie and the emblem decorating her cloak.

She decided to wear all new pieces of her uniform today: her spare quilt and her spare shirt. She even wore that hat, which most students tended to forgo as it was a hassle to keep on one's head.

Though, Adhara wore the full getup. She may not care about what people thought, but everyone at the Wizengamot would be showing up in more....suitable attires. And her uniform was the nicest thing Adhara owned.

No doubt they would all be seeking out the new Heir of House Black. Adhara wanted to look presentable.

It looked as though almost all the heirs were going to the trial. Hogsmeade station was almost full with students waiting for a parent to pick them up. The journey to London via train would be too long, so apparating would be a better option.

Most of them have already left, though. The Greengrass sisters were both going for some reason — apparently, the spare was allowed sometimes — their father had apparated them away.

Then came Theodore Nott's mother, and then Hannah Abbott's. At some point, Millie's dad also popped up. He gave Adhara a polite smile, taking his hat off. Caught off guard, she almost forgot to respond back.

One by one, they were all picked up, with Neville Longbottom's grandmother being the last to apparate her grandson away. He threw Adhara an awkward smile, before leaving her with two other remaining heirs: Malfoy and Diggory.

Malfoy was ignoring her, as he has been since their talk in the common room. He looked annoyed rather than angry. Usually, he would still sneer at her or insult her whenever he got the chance, but this time Malfoy didn't even look in her direction. He remained a good ten feet away from her.

Diggory, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He smiled at Adhara when they made eye contact, waving at her. Adhara simply arched a judgmental brow and looked away.

Apparently, that wasn't enough to push away the seventh year.

"Hey!"

Adhara ignored him.

"I'm sure you remember me?"

Adhara almost rolled her eyes. Extroverts were bloody weird.

Malfoy sneaked a glimpse but quickly looked away when he noticed Adhara looking in his direction.

"We met during the World Cup?" Diggory reminded.

"You mean when your father accused Harry of casting the dark mark?"

"I — well," Diggory spluttered. Sheepishly, he scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry about him. He can be quite a—"

A sound, similar to the strike of thunder, interrupted them. Amos Diggory emerged out of nowhere, smiling brightly when he saw his son.

"Ah, Cedric!"

He approached with open arms until he noticed Adhara standing next to Cedric. The man's smile almost faltered, before it stretched all too wide.

"Miss Adhara Black, how very nice to meet you!"

"A bother," finished Adhara, scoffing. She heard Malfoy snort from where he stood.

"Excuse me?"

Cedric blinked, quickly grabbing his father's arm to shift the man's attention to himself. "Dad!"

Another striking noise had Adhara look away from them. Sirius Black had appeared.

Deciding that the Hufflepuffs were no longer interested in her, Adhara left them, marching up towards her uncle.

"Er — hi."

Adhara didn't say anything. She settled right next to the man, elbow almost touching his.

When he still hadn't apparated them away, Adhara glanced up at Sirius, who was looking at her with his brows scrunched.

Adhara mimicked him. "What?"

Sirius closed his eyes, letting out a puff of air. If Adhara didn't know any better, she would think he was smiling at her.

"You're exactly like your father." He wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders, holding her near. Sirius raised his wand.

The comment left Adhara perplexed. She didn't know how to respond.

"Ready?"

Adhara could only nod.

━━━━

Purebloods were strange. Or perhaps it was just the upper class that was. This wasn't Sirius' first Wizengamot trial, he has attended enough of them with his father to know exactly what transpired during them.

Sirius didn't expect to be surprised. Though, when he apparated into the familiar sight, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.

People were draped in fur and expansive jewelry, drinking wine and tittering behind their hands. This was a murder trial, yet they were acting as though it was some sort of function.

If Sirius wasn't used to this, he would definitely feel sick.

"Didn't someone die?" he heard from next to him.

Adhara was watching the lot, her impassivity forgotten as she openly scowled at the scene.

Sirius sighed, resting a hand on his niece's shoulder. "I wouldn't be surprised if they had done this before the Death Eater trials, too."

He checked to see her reaction, only to see that Adhara looked away, glaring at her feet instead.

"Come on, let's find someone who's at least bearable."

Sirius weaved through the crowd, avoiding eye contact with everyone. He did not want to spur up a conversation with any of them.

He made sure to keep Adhara close to him, pulling her away from people who he caught eyeing her judgmentally. Away from the people Sirius knew he fought against during the war.

Despite the mask, Sirius could still recognize who they were. From their hair, from their voice. After all, he grew up around them.

Slyly, he managed to divert away from the Rosiers when he saw them approach. Sirius knew for certain he cursed one of them during the war.

As thorough as the Ministry thought they were at sentencing Death Eaters, they definitely missed a few of the more richer ones.

And Sirius did not want Adhara anywhere near them.

"There you are, Sirius dear."

Sirius stopped, closing his eyes to take a breath.

Except, it was more difficult to avoid them when you're directly related to them.

Had Sirius been younger, he would've told them off and walked away. Maybe even throw an insult or two while he was at it and suffer his father's wrath once home.

But Sirius was no longer a teenager. He had responsibilities, now, in the form of two children. And if he had to grit his teeth and spew formalities for them, then he would do it.

The Wizengamot was like a board of chess. One had to be cunning to move forward. Play the right move, play at the right time, and definitely be five moves ahead of your opponent.

And Sirius couldn't forget that while his name had power, he was still a recent release of Azkaban. Not too long ago, it was him who sat at the suspect's chair, it was him that they were trying.

His reputation was still fragile. Thus, Sirius had to be careful, or else he would never be able to bring Aleyne to court.

So, he turned around. A firm hand still on his niece, Sirius smiled. He didn't try to embody his mother nor his brother. Sirius was a marauder, and so mischief was in his nature.

Faking a smile, appearing interested throughout a conversation that bored him was nothing to worry about.

"Good afternoon, Narcissa."

━━━━

No one needed to tell Adhara that Lucius Malfoy disliked her. It was pretty obvious that he would.

After all, she was a bastard.

Thus, when the man eyed her with obvious scorn, Adhara didn't even blink. She simply regarded him with her usual air of disinterest, not even bothering to give proper answers when he tried to act polite.

Draco was there too, standing between both his parents. He seemed to still be angry with her, watching her with a frown on his lips. Though, the haughty veneer that he usually hid behind had fallen. He squirmed away from his father, who looked at everyone with his chin high, preferring to lean closer to his mother.

Narcissa kept a protective hand on her son's shoulder, mirroring Sirius and Adhara. The girl looked up, only to see Mrs. Malfoy watch her closely.

Adhara looked away.

Lucius Malfoy had beckoned another man into the conversation. "You have met the Greengrass' I suppose?"

Mr. Greengrass brought forth both his daughters, falling into conversation with the rest of the adults. He looked at Adhara, scanning her from head to toe, most probably judging her for showing up in her uniform.

Sirius must've noticed. He tried to pull Adhara away, to bring her to his other side, but the girl didn't budge.

"My daughters," Mr. Greengrass introduced.

Daphne Greengrass smiled. "I am already acquainted with Adhara. We're roommates, aren't we?"

Daphne smiled at her. Nicely. In almost four years of being roommates, this was the nicest the girl has ever acted towards Adhara. The smile even looked real.

Adhara ignored her, choosing to rather pay attention towards the other Greengrass sister, who looked significantly less pleased to be here.

Adhara could relate.

Astoria Greengrass was scowling, contrasting drastically with the rest of her family. She had her eyes resting on her shoes as if they were far more interesting than whatever nonsense Lucius Malfoy was speaking about.

The girl wasn't paying any attention to them, only lifting her eyes when her father placed a hand on her shoulder. Her expression changed then, a bright smile replacing her frown, but anyone could tell it didn't reach her eyes. Adhara was willing to bet Astoria did that on purpose as though she wanted people to know she didn't like them.

But Lucius Malfoy was too much of a proud man to realize. He tried to introduce his son. Draco extended a hand towards Sirius, smile just as fake, but at least he was making an effort to hide it.

Adhara tuned into the conversation, wondering what the man was spluttering about this time.

"— Draco and her are engaged, in fact —"

"Are they, now," replied Sirius, obviously displeased. He wasn't even looking at them, scanning the crowd instead for a way to escape.

Mr. Greengrass said something to his youngest, not bothering to whisper. He said it in a language Adhara didn't understand — she thought it sounded like Japanese — though he kept his tone chipper.

Adhara reckoned the message wasn't so happy, however.

Astoria didn't seem to care, though. Her hands stayed firmly in place, clasped together behind her back. Her bright smile still in place, eyes still dead, and her father's hand gripping tightly on her shoulder. But Astoria didn't budge.

Adhara smirked, amused.

"You know," spoke Lucius Malfoy, his voice suddenly louder, grabbing more attention, "before your release, Draco was considered Heir to House Black."

Draco shuffled in his spot.

Tone going hard, Mr. Malfoy looked down at Adhara, eyes narrowed.

Adhara remained calm under his gaze. She stared back, expression neutral.

"How it was meant to be," he finished.

Adhara felt Sirius pull her closer. When she looked up, he was watching Lucius closely.

"Pardon me, Lucius. But I think what is 'meant to be' is whatever the Head of House chooses, is it not?"

Lucius Malfoy looked back towards Sirius, still glaring.

"I suppose so. But the Head should also know how to make the right decision."

Sirius took a step forward, staring the blond man down. "I'm sure you're aware, Lucius, but I never really had the same inclination towards blood purity as did the rest of my family." He threw a disgusted look towards Narcissa, who met his stare indifferently.

Lucius Malfoy stepped away from her uncle, turning back at Adhara. He didn't bother to hide his sneer.

"I was merely stating facts. After all, the law states 'closest male family member'. As such, Draco would have been a perfect choice."

Which was more of a formality than anything. There were loads of female heirs these days. Millicent Bulstrode and Hannah Abbott, to name a few. No one really cared so much about the law, and Adhara was willing to bet neither did Lucius Malfoy, really. People cared more about the purity of one's blood, but the man could hardly say that out loud.

The law was merely an excuse.

But Adhara could play along if that was what the man wanted.

Slowly, Adhara smiled. A small one, it was barely noticeable. She couldn't help it. Lucius Malfoy was amusing her.

"You needn't worry, Mr. Malfoy."

She had been quiet so far. No one really expected Adhara to speak, but they all turned to her when she did. Even Astoria was watching her with interest.

She could feel Sirius' hand on her shoulder. Though, it didn't feel like he was telling her to stop. "The law once stated that women couldn't vote. Laws change, and this one will too. We can ensure that it does, right?"

Next to her, she could feel her uncle quietly laugh.

━━━

A bit later, Dumbledore came to announce the beginning of the trail. Right when everyone made their way down towards the courtroom, changing into gowns with a wave of their wand, Sirius stopped her.

He took a good look at her, expression still amused.

Adhara arched a brow.

Sirius shook his head, as though he understood that she was asking him a question.

"Nothing."

━━━━

The actual trial took hours. Adhara sat quiet the entire time. Sometimes, Sirius would explain some of the proceedings to her. Sometimes, Adhara listened to what those who sat behind her were whispering.

They were in a circular room, with seats surrounding the perimeter. Down in the centre of the room, there was one wooden chair where the suspect sat. In front of them was a high chair that stood almost higher than the members' seats.

The Chief Warlock took his place in the high chair, small crescent-shaped glasses at the tip of his nose. He eyed the suspect inquisitively, his wrinkled forehead scrunching even more as though he was glaring.

Bathsheba Cornwall, the suspect, was an old woman. She was not an employee of the Ministry, which raised questions as to how she even sneaked past the security.

Her spine was curved, and she had to use a cane to walk. Though, she had that look in her eye that made anyone who met her gaze squirm in their spot, uncomfortable. She answered all of Dumbledore's questions with ease, providing logical explanations for each one that the Wizengamot threw at her.

Adhara found the entire case quite strange. Cornwall had pleaded guilty, she didn't look like she felt remorseful at all. Though, that wasn't what made Adhara wary. Cornwall wouldn't have killed that employee had she felt bad about it.

No, what was strange was the woman's behaviour. She didn't even try to defend herself nor, at least, act miserable to ensure a lesser sentence. It was almost as though she wanted to get caught.

Adhara watched her closely. Bathsheba Cornwall's answers were quick, almost rehearsed, and her tone was bland. She stretched every syllable, irritating some of the members of the Wizengamot. Cornwall stared at Dumbledore the entire time, never facing the members who questioned her, her eyes wide and almost dead.

The hand she used to hold her cane was trembling. She dropped it, her arm falling to her side. The cane landed on the floor with a thud.

The sound reverberated around the large room, some people jolted up straight in their seats.

Bathsheba didn't so much as look at the cane, eyes still on Dumbledore.

Adhara furrowed her brows.

The old wizard blinked, expecting the woman to pick the cane back up. When she didn't, he gestured towards it with his hand.

Bathsheba blinked. She looked down at the cane, movement mechanical, and picked it. Her wrist bent first, then her elbow, then her shoulder. Almost like a puppet. She slowly turned back to the Chief Warlock, returning to her previous position.

Dumbledore frowned, which was what tipped Adhara off.

Adhara didn't really listen to the trial. She didn't know the details of it, she wasn't even sure what Bathsheba was sentenced to.

But she did know that the woman was very strange. Strange enough to even rise Albus Dumbledore's suspicions.

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Draco Malfoy was deep in his thoughts. The trial was over, but the day was far from it. A few feet away, he watched his parents converse with the Rosiers. Although they were already in the outer robes, ready to leave, a last-minute discussion to finalise a deal or dinner plans was never a bad thing.

He did not join his parents today, opting to wait for them on a table as they did their thing. Forgotten wine glasses were left half-finished, and Draco had the oddest desire to grab a random one and down the entire glass. But he didn't.

Draco didn't simply watch his parents. His eyes wandered around the entire hall, scrutinising every schoolmate he recognized and memorising those he didn't.

It was what his father would've done.

All his life, Draco looked up to his father. How couldn't he? A man so strong and powerful. He stood unwavering at whatever life threw at him.

He taught Draco about connections. About alliances and contracts. He explained to Draco just how selfish and unforgiving the world was, and in order to survive it, he needed to fight fire with fire.

Draco wanted to be exactly like him.

His mother taught him the same. Although, not quite. She did speak of connections and alliances and contracts, though she used words such as blood and family to explain the importance of them.

Thus, he decided to take both their advice. Draco approached blood, and extended a hand to create an alliance. One that he knew to be powerful, one that he knew would be useful one day.

Which was in no way a bad thing.

He expected Adhara Black to join hands with him. To understand why Draco wanted to form connections. The contract would help Black as much as it helped him.

So yes, Draco fully expected Black to accept his proposal. Self-preservation was a Slytherin trait, after all.

But that was not the case.

Draco glared at his hands. He sought out his cousin in the crowd, just to see her talking to the Bulstrodes of all people.

Her refusal has made his blood boil. Almost similar to how he felt when Harry Potter rejected the same proposal from Draco in their first year. Except, while both times he definitely felt angry, this time, Draco had mostly been confused.

Because, her rejection just didn't make sense. Surely, Adhara Black, a Slytherin like himself, understood the importance of alliances.

However, Draco would be lying if he said he didn't remember any of his conversations with Black. Especially the ones they had at the Forbidden Forest during second year. Adhara had talked about family and reputation, about how sometimes the latter was more important.

And if that didn't describe his father, then Draco didn't know what did.

But, he couldn't fault his father for doing so. After all, keeping one's reputation intact was a sure way to ensure one survived in this selfish world.

Draco also remembered what Adhara had said about witch hunters, comparing them to blood purists. The revelation had troubled him so much that he went behind his father's back and started learning about muggles. Reading books about them, written by them.

And, well. They weren't that bad. Draco was an intelligent boy, he always had been. His opinion on muggles may not have changed much, but he was smart enough to admit that his knowledge about them was severely lacking.

Though, that couldn't matter. It shouldn't matter. He couldn't let them figure out that he didn't think that muggles were awful, that muggleborns and half-bloods weren't a disgrace to magickind.

That Adhara Black was nothing but a stain to the Black name.

The table he sat at was round and covered a white tablecloth. Other than the wine glasses, there wasn't anything. And across from Draco sat Astoria Greengrass as they both waited for their parents to finish with their socialising.

Astoria wasn't the same as him. She wasn't even the same as her sister, Daphne, who nodded along to everything her parents told her, relishing in her father's headpats.

Astoria talked back, though her voice never went higher than a whisper. It didn't need to, for the words she spoke were enough to get her point across. She looked straight into her father's eyes, defying his every word and doing only what she thought to be right.

Astoria and Draco talked. How couldn't they, since they were expected to wed one day — Narcissa preferred her over Daphne, for some reason. So, yes, they talked, even more so these past months than before, since Astoria herself didn't have many friends at Hogwarts, and Draco found himself distancing from his — though Blaise was the exception.

Draco knew about Astoria's scandalous beliefs. He might be the only one outside of her family who did since he was certain Mr. Greengrass tried to conceal his daughter's opinions as much as possible.

But that never stopped Astoria. She told people off whenever they got in her way. In her opinion, there was nothing wrong with muggleborns, and she wasn't going to lie about that if asked. Especially to her father.

Which, Draco didn't really understand.

"Where's your sense of self-preservation?"

Astoria flipped her hand over, examining her nails from another angle. "If you think allowing my father to play around with my future is self-preservation then you must be a fool." She glanced at him, from the corner of her eye. "I will live my life as I please. I am preserving my happiness."

Draco frowned. That wasn't how it was supposed to be. "You're starting to sound like a Lion."

Astoria smirked. "Darling, there is a difference between reckless courage and simply having a spine. Take the Blacks, for example. Have you seen a more courageous Slytherin than one of them?"

Draco thought about it. It was true that he sometimes questioned how his mother would stand quietly in front of his father while he screamed at her. Narcissa never even batted an eyelid at her husband's anger.

And then there was his Aunt Bella. Although a bit crazy, although a bit mental, Draco did admit that it took gut to stand in front of the Wizengamot and proclaim one's loyalty to the Dark Lord, knowing full well that it would land her in Azkaban.

Nothing about that was 'self-preservation'.

"Adhara Black sounds proper brave to me. And there's no doubt she is a Slytherin, is there?"

Draco huffed. Astoria had full command over their conversation, which he didn't enjoy. Though, he couldn't deny that she was right.

"I suppose so."

"The Blacks are powerful," declared Astoria. "Maybe even the most powerful House in this room. And I wouldn't be surprised if it was because of their spine. The Malfoys, on the other hand..."

A scowl appeared on Draco's face. "What are you trying to say?"

Mr. Greengrass was calling his daughter over, probably to introduce her to some of his other colleagues, even though she has met them already. Nonetheless, Astoria stood up to join him.

But before leaving, she settled a hand on Draco's shoulder.

"You seek power, don't you, Draco? Well, you already have it, as a Malfoy. But your mother, she knows how to use it, learn from her."

"I can learn from my father very well, thank you."

"Can you? Well, I won't stop you. You can follow your father," she leaned in, whispering in Draco's ear, "and even join him to kiss His feet when he comes back."

Draco clenched his fist, gripping tightly onto the table cloth.

Astoria stood back up straight, seemingly looking unaffected by the entire conversation. "Just don't expect me to be there next to you, as the perfect wife."

She patted his shoulder lastly, before walking away.

Draco's knuckles had turned white.

━━━━

Ministry officials were allowed to witness trials. They wore purple robes instead of black ones, like the families did. Sometimes, they joined the families to mingle with them.

One of them decided to start up a conversation with the Blacks. Nothing too personal, only simple questions. 'How is everything?' 'What did you think of the trial?' 'How is your newly acquired freedom treating you, Mr. Black?'

Which Sirius thought was more of a silent jab at him than anything. Thus, Sirius responded appropriately.

"It wouldn't be anything new if the Ministry had done its job properly!" he threw back, jovially.

Bertha Jorkins wasn't phased. She threw her head back, agreeing with Sirius. "You're not wrong about that. Between you and me," she whispered, "there's a lot of things I feel the Ministry should change."

Sirius blinked, taken aback. He kept on a polite smile.

Adhara was with her friend Millicent. Not too far, Sirius kept an eye on her. (Because, in all honesty, he didn't trust Millicent's father much. He looked way too familiar.)

"There are a lot of reforms to be had. Lots of changes, yet no one knows where to start. But you know what they say: cut off the head, and the body will follow!"

Sirius' smile almost dropped. The tips on his mouth fell, though he tried to remain polite.

Bertha Jorkins laughed, her grey eyes gleaming.

If Sirius didn't know any better, he would think she meant what she said literally.

━━━━

Before leaving, Sirius caught Adhara saying her goodbyes to Narcissa's kid. She kept referring to him as 'cousin' instead of using his name.

"Why do you call him that?"

"What?"

"Narcissa's kid." Whatever his name was, Sirius couldn't remember.

"Oh. It's because he hates it. It reminds him that, whether he likes it or not, he's related to a half-blood bastard."

For a moment, Sirius was left speechless. He stopped in his track.

When Adhara turned back, she saw her uncle had stopped walking. Only to watch his shocked expression be replaced with a wide smile.

For the second time that day, Adhara had made Sirius laugh.

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